Dual Diagnosis and Suicide Probability in Poly-Drug Users

OBJECTIVE:

To determine the frequency of suicidal thoughts and suicidal probability among poly-substance abusers in Saudi population, and to examine the relation between dual diagnosis and suicidal thoughts.

STUDY DESIGN:

Case control study.

PLACE AND DURATION OF STUDY:

Al-Baha Psychiatric Hospital, Saudi Arabia, from May 2011 to June 2012.

METHODOLOGY:

Participants were 239 subjects, aged 18 - 45 years. We reviewed 122 individuals who fulfilled the DSM-IV-TR criteria of substance abuse for two or more substances, and their data were compared with that collected from 117 control persons.

RESULTS:

Suicidal cases were highly present among poly-substance abusers 64.75%. Amphetamine and cannabis were the most abused substances, (87.7% and 70.49%, respectively). Astatistically significant association with suicidality was found with longer duration of substance abuse (p < 0.001), using alcohol (p=0.001), amphetamine (p=0.007), volatile substances (p=0.034), presence of comorbid psychiatric disorders (dual diagnosis) as substance induced mood disorder (p=0.001), schizo-affective disorder (p=0.017), major depressive disorders (p=0.001), antisocial (p=0.016) and borderline (p=0.005) personality disorder. Suicidal cases showed significant higher scores (p < 0.001) of suicide probability scale and higher scores in Beck depressive inventory (p < 0.001).

CONCLUSION:

Abusing certain substances for long duration, in addition to comorbid psychiatric disorders especially with disturbed-mood element, may trigger suicidal thoughts in poly-substance abusers. Depression and suicide probability is common consequences of substance abuse.

Full PDF article at:   http://goo.gl/4PcIgV

By:  Youssef IM1, Fahmy MT1, Haggag WL1, Mohamed KA1, Baalash AA2.

• 1Department of Neuropsychiatry, Suez Canal University, Ismailia, Egypt.
• 2Department of Psychiatry, Psychiatric Hospital, Al-Baha, Saudi Arabia. 
• J Coll Physicians Surg Pak. 2016 Feb;26(2):130-3. doi: 02.2016/JCPSP.130133.

More at:  https://twitter.com/hiv insight

And: http://twitter.com/Prison Health

Impact of Cannabis Use on Long-Term Remission in Bipolar I and Schizoaffective Disorder

Read at: http://ht.ly/Q6tDn HT @Deakin 

Regular cannabis use has a negative effect on the clinical course of bipolar spectrum disorders. Individuals with bipolar spectrum disorders who are regular cannabis users are a vulnerable population.9Given the clinical significance of cannabis use in bipolar spectrum disorders, routine comprehensive and regular assessments of cannabis use are recommended. Furthermore, special attention to, and management of, patients with these substance problems must be integrated into the treatment strategy to achieve better therapeutic outcomes for bipolar spectrum disorders.

Below:  Comparison of remission rates according to cannabis and tobacco use. Bar indicates median and interquartile range. *p-value<0.05, **p-value<0.01 (statistically significant after the Bonferroni correction). HAMD-21: 21-item Hamilton Depression Rating Scale, YMRS: Young Mania Rating scale.